It’s not about brand wars and field operations any more, is it? Not as much directly. It’s got to be about governing, demonstrating. It takes long and hard seasons of growing leadership to yield this climate’s requisite harvests of political allies and adherents. These are the campaigns that need waged.

Imagine hypothetically and arbitrarily that you are 5’7″ tall and weigh 185 lbs. According to the doctor’s chart, you will not be “healthy” until you drop to at least 155 lbs. But since you haven’t been 155 lbs since high school and that was over 20 years ago, you set an interim goal weight of 170 lbs. and plan to reassess once you get there — because the full burden all at once seems too unrealistic, and besides you’re an American.

That’s what happened yesterday.

In a rare appearance before City Council, Peduto said Pittsburgh is facing a $60 million annual structural deficit that includes a $15 million hole in its operating budget. (Trib, Bauder & Daniels)

In a decision that will help define Allegheny County for decades as an exposition, its Council approved an agreement negotiated between the administration of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Fort Worth, TX-based Range Resources together with Monroeville-based Huntley & Huntley to drill for natural gas under 1,180 acre Deer Lakes Park.

The County park lies 15 miles northeast of the City of Pittsburgh — which in 2012 enacted its own drilling ban.

We missed viewing this round of public commentary, but we did manage to tune in online to debate among Council members, which commenced finally on Wednesday night around 11:00 PM.

Additionally, public water utilities might be better run, assisted or regulated to better maintain public health. It might even be time to mandate water line insurance, jettisoning old arguments and depressing patterns.

David Conti celebrates our new options in the Strip. We are curious what exactly is meant by “portals” through the old Produce Terminal. We also hope Buncher can be persuaded to improve its long-term market potential more “our way” in terms of how it now sacrifices riverfront setbacks for surface parking.

Colin McNickle rips the PA Supreme Court for needlessly diluting our rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. It is noted that Democratic justices wrote in righteous dissent, hewing to the PA Constitution’s original intent.